Lawn mower



Sept. 27, 41931?..

H. T. INGERSON 1,879,271

LAWN MOWER 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 23, 1931 3mm oz Hilnmm Patented Sept. 27, 19-32 UNITED STATES HARRY r. INGRSON, or rAT'rEN, MAINE LAwN MowER Application led Mayr23,

This invention relates to mowing machines and particularly to lawn mowers of that general type in which reciprocating blades are used, thereby permitting the mower to be- 5 used in cutting relatively long grass which` it is impossible to cut with theY ordinary rotary knife lawn mower.

' The general object of the invention is to provide a mower of this character which is 1e relatively simple and positive as regards its driving means and which is so constructed dle may be raised lor lowered so as to adjust it to suit the operator and in which, by turning the handle over towardthe front of the feo? lawn mower, the mower may bepushedrearward to thus prevent the blades from being actuatedwhile the machine is being pushed over the lawn. Y

Other objects will appear 25 the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accom-v in the course of panying drawings, wherein ,Y

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a mower constructed in accordance with my inven- '3 tion, the handle bars being shown in section; Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2Vof Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section on the line 3*-3 of Figure 1; Y p

Figure et is a side elevation showing in dotted and full lines two positions ofthe handle and handle bars;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary face View of one of the main driving gears showing the forma-v tion of the teeth and also showing a pinion engaged with these driving gears.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detailed eleva- 45 tion of the supporting frame and spring;

1931. serial 110.539,5'99. i

means whereby the frame Vmay be vertically adjusted. Q Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a main frame which may be of anysuitable ,t construction. This frame extends horizontal-g 5'0 ly and then downward and forward as at 11` (see Figures 2 and 4)' and the lowerportion of the frame isprovided with the rearf wardly extending portions 12 which support the vertical portions 13 bolted to the "in- `55' clined portions 11, which in turn support a forward cross bar 14:, this forward cross bar being on a level with a rear vcross bar 15 which forms part of the frame 10. The forward and rear cross bars` are connected V'by Athe i two longitudinallyextending bars 16 which'in turn are connected by thebrac'es 17 and 17. Mounted in 4theside bars of the frame' 10 in suitable bearings is a transverse shaft 178.y ,f Loosely mounted upon the ends of this shaft 65 adjacent thesides of the frame 10 are the'` ground engaging driving wheels 19. These are each connected or formed as part of aV hub 20 formed with clutch teeth 20a, these clutch teeth beinginclined rearward. Slidngly mounted upon the shaft ,'18 are the two main driving gear wheels 21which are independent of eachother, each of these gear wheels having a hub 22 formed withv clutch teeth 23 coacting withthe clutch teeth 20a. :f

VSprings 24 urge these gear wheelsf21 lat? erally outward, and, therefore, urge Y the clutch teeth 23 intol engagement withV the clutch teeth 20a. j Y

Mounted in bearings upon the bars 14, 16 and 17 are `the longitudinallyk extending shafts 25, each of whichV carries, a beveled pinion 26 engaging one of the V beveled gear wheels 21. As shown in Figurey', the teeth of the beveled gear wheels 21 Varef'not radial but are tangential to a circle describedv around the axial center of the wheel and the teeth of the gear wheel 26 are of 4just. suffcient size to enter betweenthe teethv of Vthe gear wheel 21 and are so formed that when 90` a tooth of the pinion 26 is in mesh between the teeth of the gear wheel 21, the tooth of the pinion will contact at the point a with one tooth of thegear wheel 21 while the opposite corner of the pinion tooth at b will contact with the opposite tooth on the gear wheel 21. This peculiar shape of the teeth is rendered necessary by the fact that the axial centers of the shafts 25 are above the axial center upon which the gearV wheelsl 21 operate instead of intersecting the latter.

The shafts 25 carry upon them the gear wheels 27 which mesh with an intermediate gear wheel or pinion 28 mounted upon a short shaft 29 carried in bearings on the cross bars 14 and 17. This shaft 29. carries upon it the crank 30, the crank pin 31 of which crank engages with the oppositely extending connecting rods 32 and 33. v e

The forward end of the frame has the forwardly and laterallypro]- ecting extensions 34y Operating over the upper face of the guides Y 36 and 37 is the knife bar 39 having a downwardly extending tongue 40 having dovetailed engagement with the guides 36l and 37 This knife bar carries the usual knives 41 reciprocating over the fingers@ It will be obvious now that as the machine is pushed forward, the ground engaging wheels will transmit power to the shafts 25 which in turn will Vrotate the crank 30 which will cause a reciprocation of. the connecting rods 32 and 33 which in turn will'cause a reciproca.- tion of the knife bar and knives.

`Pivotally connected to the rear end of the frame are two rearwardly extending arms 42, cacho-f them shouldered upon its outer face as at 43, the shoulder being angular. Between these arms is mounted the roller 44 having outwardly extending gudgeons 45. Extending upward from the gudgeons and pivotally engaged therewith are the verticalrods 46 which act as handle supports and which are preferably provided with avv plurality ofholes 47. Handle bars` 48 engage the shaft 18 and extend rearward and upward therefrom. and a pin49 engages the handle bars with the rods 46. By adjusting'this pin in anyone of the holes 47, the handle bars may be held in a rised or lowered position- The handle bars are connected by a transverse handle 50.

The operation of this mechanism is obvious from what has gone before. With the parts in full line position shown in Figure 4, the machine is pushed forward, which causes a reciprocation of the cutting knife over the fingers. In the rearward movement, however, the clutches 21l and 23 will slip by each other so that while the ground engaging wheels will rotate, no reciprocation will be given to the cutter bar. When it is desired to roll the machine away without doing any cutting, the handle is shifted to the dotted line position in Figure 4 which raises the roller ofi' the ground and brings the handle into position where the machine may be pushed backward, in which position, of course, the cutting knife is not operative.

Obviously certain details may be changed and particularly the proportions of the machine be changed without inany way departing from the spirit of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

Anyy means mayV be used for the purpose of holding the cutting knives at a desired distance from the ground, but I have illustra/ted. vertically adjustable wheels for this purpose.

I claim-:- Y.

LA mowing machine of the character described, comprising a supporting frame, .a shaft-passing therethrough, ground engaging wheels mounted upon the shaft and each hav,- ing a laterally projecting hub provided with clutch teeth, the forward end ofthe frame extending downward and forward and being formed to provide a cutter bar support having fingers, a pair of gear Y wheels loosely mounted upon said` shaft and each having a hub extending toward the hub of a: driving wheel and formed with clutch teeth coacting with the clutch teeth on the hub of the driving wheel, springs urging said gear .wheels toward the groundengaging wheels,V longitudinally extending shafts mounted upon the frame and having pinions engaging said gearl wheels, a crank shaft having a pinion thereon, gear wheels. carried on the longitudinally extending shafts for engaging said pinion, a cutter bar mounted upon the cutter bar supporting element for reciprocation thereon, and connecting rods pivotally connected to opposite ends of the cutter bar and to said crank pin, a roller carried at the rear end of the supporting frame, and'V handle bars extending upward and rearward from the shaft, the handle bars being vertically adjustable.

2. In a. lawn mower of the character 'described, a supporting frame, ground engaging wheels mounted` thereon, a reciprocating cutter bar, means connected to the ground engaging wheels for reciprocating said-knife bar, rearwardly extending arms pivotally connected to the frame, a roller carried thereby, rods extending upward from the free ends of said arms, and handle bars pivotedupon the frame and extending upward and rearward therefrom and detachably engaged with saidl rods.

3. In a mowing machine, a supporting frame, a reciprocatable cutter bar on the cutter bar support, means operatively connected to and driven by the ground engaging wheels for reciprocating said cutter bar, arms pivoted t0 the rear of said frame and extending rearward therefrom, vertical supports eX- tending upward from the arms and pivoted thereto, and handle bars pivotally engaged with said frame and extending upward and detachably engaged with said vertical supports whereby the handle bars may be turned to a position over the cutter bar to permit the machine to be pusher rearward.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature. p

HARRY T. INGERSON. 

